I Haunt You, I Heart You
by KayleenNight
Summary: Rose is fed up with the lies and cheating of her recent boyfriend Adrian Ivashkov. Dimitri is in New York to discover what happened to his youngest sister. One encounter between them can change everything for these two. What secret ties them together? What kind of journey lies ahead for them? And will they be able to come out of this unscathed?
1. Chapter 1

_The strong willed, strong minded Rosemarie Hathaway is on the streets with nowhere to go. Adrian Ivashkov, son of a state senator and a wealthy socialite, was her boyfriend, who also turned out to be a cheater and a player. He is used to the high life and getting what he wants, well except for Rosemarie and that infuriates him. So Rose, as she is most commonly called by her friends, finds herself drawn into 'Frost Bite,' a very popular underground bar, club, and 'meeting place,' to drink away her sorrows. But it doesn't take long before she catches a set of eyes or two or maybe more._

_Dimitri is searching for a lead, any lead, that will take him closer to his missing sister. The one lead that he does get winds up lost due to an encounter that leaves him flaming and unsure. But then there is an offer, one that he can't quite resist from the powerful and very wealthy Ibrahim Mazur: find his lost daughter._

_What lies ahead for Rose? Who is the mysterious man that comes to her side? What secrets lie deep in his soul that joins them as one? What kind of journey lies in wait for Rose and her new companion?_

* * *

One

Rosemarie

_What did I ever see in that bastard, _I wondered to myself as I wandered down a residential street of New York. Wondering in the depths of my mind where I was going to go but at this point in time my mind was intently focused on what I had just witnessed. _This is my night from hell. I should have never stayed with his sorry ass._

The second statements words rang true in my mind but I pushed them away as my mood turned sour. I had put more than three years of time and tons effort, including money, into my most recent failure of a relationship. I wasn't really sure of what to do with myself now or what to do about the future.

_You could go back to him, maybe there is a plausible explanation,_ my hopeful side whispered into my ear from the good side of me.

I found myself glaring at the suggestion and that good side of me immediately retreated back into the deep recesses from which she had come out of. There was no way that I was going back to Adrian's sorry ass and listen to all of his pitiful excuses about what I had seen. I had seen and heard enough from him, this had been his last chance of keeping our relationship together and he had blown it.

I sighed as I stopped at a street corner and looked up at the sign to see exactly where I was at. It was in that moment that I knew where I was going so I heard in that direction. And it was three blocks down and two blocks to my right that I saw a line that had formed in front of a basement entrance.

A big burly bouncer stood at the steps of 'Frost Bite,' also known as the 'Deadly Angel' at night, was letting attendees enter when others exited. It was a very popular dance slash night club and tonight was no exception. It was a Friday night, it was always packed on such a night and it was also the night of the full moon, which explained a lot of the crazy things that had been going on lately. Well, that is what I coughed it up to being since I had studied a little bit of psychology a month back. Found out that the whole college scene wasn't my thing and just hadn't had the guts to tell Adrian about me dropping out. Now I didn't have to do that, oh well.

When Jack, the bouncer and a friend of mine, saw me a wide, pearly-white smile spread across his face as he stepped aside to let me through but it faded when he saw my face.

"Lovely Rose, what is wrong with this beautiful Friday night?"

I stopped, finally giving him my usual flirtatious smile, just as I got to him. "You promise not to do anything stupid if I tell you?"

"Now you know that I can't promise that, Rose." A few people passed by us and he moved the velvet to let a group of people in. "Why do I have a feeling that it has something to do with that bastard Adrian?"

This time I grimaced and winced. "Not a good subject, Jack."

"Are things over between the two of you this time?" His eyes searched my face very carefully.

Jack was a really good friend, almost like an older brother since he was a year older than I was. That was the way that it had always been between the two of us and it would always be that way. The two of us had already tried to do the whole dating thing but it hadn't worked out so we had decided to stay as friends. It was one of the rare times that I actually enjoyed a guy's company without it being awkward or didn't have feelings that I couldn't reciprocate.

"It seems that it is over; I am done dealing with his bullshit. That is actually why I am here so I can enjoy my first night of freedom before I have to go back and gather my things in the morning."

"Alright…well, Scottie is inside working the bar. He can make some awesome drinks that would probably help you." He patted my shoulder in a slight sympathy gesture before ushering me through. "I hope that he doesn't try to do anything stupid."

I grimaced and stepped past him. "I hope that he doesn't either."

I slipped into the building as I heard protests of my entrance behind me. It was one of the good things about being a VIP at a club, especially when you knew the either waitstaff, bouncers, and managers. I have been going to this place for more than a year and a half now, I was one of the first VIPs for the club. The owner and his fiancée was actually a really good friend of mine Mason Ashford and Lillian Morrison.

I walked over to the bar and sat down, looking down to the other end to see Scottie at the other end chatting with a few of the customers. Scottie was a rather handsome and a rather broad shouldered man, I had to admit to myself. I had always dismissed every other man as prospects since starting my relationship with Adrian. Well, it had more started when he had shown possession by always checking to see who I was talking to or where I was going. That should have been my first clue to bail but I had given him a fair shot. He was the first and last fair shot I would ever give to anyone.

But now that I was out of a relationship it was time to consider a different prospect and I wasn't going to give myself to just anyone. I had been in too many pig filled relationships that were just after my body and nothing else, I was tired of such games. So it was time for me to straighten up some, maybe finally give someone a chance.

Who was I kidding though, there isn't any good men out there anymore that would want to settle down with someone like me. I might as well find someone to just mess around with and once I am tired of them move on to someone else. Maybe Scottie wouldn't be too bad or maybe I could try a friends-with-benefits arrangement with Jack…

"What can I get you, Miss Rose?" I was jostled out of my thoughts by Scottie's deep timbre voice and I blinked a few times to find him watching me, waiting.

I felt my cheeks flush a deep red so I ducked my head slightly to hide it as I tried to gather my scattered thoughts. "Fix me up the strongest drink that you can?"

I could hear in my own voice that the words came out as a question and Scottie stopped cleaning the glass that he had been working on to look at me, and I mean really look at me.

He leaned against the bar, his sky blue eyes were intense as he stared at me. A stray strand of curly dirty blonde hair fell across his forehead, blocking his left eye partially. He didn't move to brush it out of the way but I did, my fingers itching to move it from his vision.

It was in that moment that I really admitted to myself that Scottie was a good looking guy. His dirty blonde hair curled around his ears and light along the nape of his neck. He had a deep rich tan, though I had never figured out if it was natural or artificial. I did know that Scottie worked out, between running and going to the gym, he was my partner when we both were able to run no matter the time of day. And dear god, he had a beautiful front and back with well sculpted muscles that he was damn proud of.

"Are you sure, Miss Hathaway? Adrian wouldn't mind, would he?" I could tell in his voice that he was a bit surprised by my request.

Truthfully I am not a heavy drinker but with the way things have been going with Adrian I have been kind of forced down that path. Though tonight I am promising myself that I will never drink like this again…ever.

"Scottie, please don't mention that god awful name around me and I am sure that he won't mind because the two of us are finally through." He set a glass of scotch down in front of me and I swiped it quickly, and took a sip before tilting my head all the way back. "I can't believe that I gave that son of a bitch another chance. I guess that I thought he would change for me but I guess that he didn't."

Dimitri

Things had been going quite well for me on my newest assignment in the states but things had gone bad when I had spotted Nathasha. I was to find information of an alias by the name of Cordias Vladimir and find out what his real name was and who his associates were. I had been tailing him and a potential suspect when I spotted her and that was when I lost my intended target.

"_What the hell are you doing here," I asking as I drew close to her._

_She looked around herself, feigning suspicion, acting as if she hadn't known that I was talking to her. "Oh, are you speaking to me?"_

"_Tasha, you know that I am talking to you." I was furious now because she was acting so innocent. "How did you find me here?"_

"_I was sent to New York, Dimka, just like you were. What assignment did they put you on?" There was that innocence again and something else, was that smugness? No, it couldn't be. Why would she be smug?_

"_Alias Cordias Vladimir is my intended target." I was up tight, searching the crowd once again but failing at finding my target, and then there was the defeat._

"_I am searching for an associate of his, Adrian Ivashkov."_

But this whole subject hadn't been what had infuriated me so much. What had infuriated me was what she had brought up a little while ago. It was the main reason why I had took this assignment, to get away from her.

"_Are things between us okay, Dimka?" Innocence once more though I knew now that her innocence was what made her so deadly._

"_Don't call me that, Natasha." A bitter edge entered my voice as I turned on her, my stretched thin nerves making my temper snap. "You are not allowed to call me that anymore."_

_Tears started to well in her crystalline blue eyes. Those eyes used to make my heart melt when I looked into them but now they made me sick to my stomach. "You are still mad at me."_

_It was a statement of fact rather than a question. "Of course I am still mad at you. I don't know what would make you think that things have changed since we last spoke."_

_The slight smile that had curled up her usual luscious pink lips had faded. "I had hoped that you had forgiven me by now. You haven't been returning my calls."_

_Her last words had been added almost as an after thought as she bit at her lower lip. If it had been before the fall out between the two of us three weeks ago then I would have thought it was cute. But after catching her in our bed with another man, naked…no, after that I had seen her in a completely different light._

"_I don't know how I could forgive you for what you did, Natasha." I found that I couldn't even say Tasha, her nickname, now. The nickname tasted wrong in my mouth and it made my stomach but with anxiety after hearing a deep voice saying her name._

"_You have forgiven me for every other thing but this, what changed?"_

"_You changed, I changed. You turned out to be selfish. I have put up with your shit for so damn long that I can't find it in myself to do it anymore." I sighed, I was tired now, so tired._

_My words seemed to spark something in her, her eyes seemed to come to life as I looked up. "Are you saying that you never loved me?"_

_I didn't say anything as I thought that over. Was that what I was saying? Had I ever really loved Natasha Ozera?_

_I thought through all the years that we have spent together as friends and in the time that we had shared in a relationship. I knew that I had loved her as a friend, I had also adored her in the beginning of our relationship, and there had been quite a bit of affection. But had my feelings for her really have been love?_

_Now that I thought out it I knew for a fact that I had never really loved Natasha, not in the way that she had wanted me to. Natasha was beautiful with her long, straight midnight black hair that hung down past her shoulders with bangs that covered her forehead. She had a natural beauty about her though she too pale skin for my taste and she was too thin. But then there was thing about our age…seven years between the two of us and for the first time I found that it bothered me, badly._

_Don't get me wrong, she was taller than most people that I knew but for her height she should have a bit more muscle or something to her bones. She has a porcelain complexion that made her stand out in a crowd but there wasn't much color to her and it kind of offset her beauty to me. Then there was the scar that stretched from her forehead, down past her right eye, and down across her cheek from where she had been cut by a piece of glass trying to save her nephew from a fire several years back._

_Natasha was brave for what she had done and I admired her for that bravery. She had done something that not many other people would have done and I couldn't hold that against her. That bravery is what had helped her get into the academy back home and had fast tracked her to where she was now as one of the top government agents._

"_Dimitri?" I was jolted out of my thoughts and found myself staring at her and I could see in her face that she was not happy. "Tell me the truth, did you really ever love me?"_

_I opened my mouth to tell her the truth but snapped it shut again. That seemed to be all the answer that she needed as I saw the devastation that settled in her features. But then she pushed it away and that was when I saw the mask that we had been taught to construct set in, blocking me out._

"_I guess that is it then." She started to turn and walk away but looked over her shoulder one last time. "You won't be bothered by me again."_

_And that is when she walked away from me…walking out of my life._

Now I find myself sitting at a bar in New York instead of getting more information and hunting down my assignment. For the first time I felt like I didn't know what to do with my life because I had been so focused on the pain of what Natasha had done. For the first time in a long time I found myself feeling alone…which didn't usually happen to me.

I sipped on the Russian vodka that I had ordered, feeling only the slightest hint of a buzz. That was when I began to feel my phone buzzing in my jeans pocket. I cursed myself for not turning the damn thing off sooner as I pulled it out to see who it was. As I saw the caller's name I cursed myself even more when I answered it…

"Zemy, it is a pleasure hearing from you at such a late hour." I was not happy to be hearing from this man.

Zemy, or Ibrahim Mazur, was a very dangerous man and was on of my contacts that I had dealt with plenty of times while I had been on assignments in Russia. He was a hitman for the government and seemed to have informants all over the world, all lot of them were as dangerous or close to being as dangerous as he was. I had learned, seen, that you should never cross him because of what he could, or would, do if you did.

He was not only dangerous but very powerful. It was not very wide known that he was a government agent, which is why he was still underground as a drug lord. That power as put him at the top of a pack that had once dwindled but had made a strong comeback.

What type of back am I referencing to? A wolf pack, a secret that every government is trying to keep out of the human eye. It has never ended well over the centuries for people that have been found out. It has turned into major hunts and has even led to widespread massacres of hundreds of thousands of my kind.

Yes, I said my kind because I am one of them. For three nights each month we transform into wolves for the main purpose of finding our true mate and to perform the process that will bind the two of us together. There are some of us who chose not to change during those nights for that purpose though, some of us chose to change just to run and feel the exhilaration in our veins.

"Dimitri Belikov, I have a side assignment for you. Well, that is if it is not too much for me to ask anyways." There was the business man that I was used to, not much for pleasantries.

"And if I decline to take on this assignment?" I knew that it was not the best thing to try to counter the Zemy's propositions but I wasn't much in the mood to be told what to do.

"Now, now, Dimitri…I don't know what has you in such a bad mood but I wouldn't push you luck today. It is very important that you take on this assignment."

"Will it interfere with the assignment that I have already been assigned?" I took a long draw from the glass that I had been drinking from.

"I have already consulted with your superiors and someone else will be taking your place on that assignment. I gave them money for their troubles and I will pay you for your troubles if you will consider my offer."

I knew it was a bad idea but I couldn't seem to resist because I was kind of looking for a bit of help in the financial department. "Alright, I will listen and consider your proposition."

"I am searching for my daughter…"

Rosemarie

"I can't believe that Adrian did that to you. I am really sorry about that." Scottie stood back up and rubbed the back of his neck while I sipped on my drink. "A part of me hoped that maybe he was the guy for you but I guess that he wasn't."

I stayed silent, staring down into my glass as I felt the weariness of the night start to settle into my bones.

"I will be back, Rose. I need to get back to the rest of the customers."

I nodded my head and waved my hand to let him know that he could go and do what he needed to do. I set the drink down on the bar and let the chair turn around so that I was looking at the dance floor and I had the sudden urge to get out there and dance. It had been a long time since I was able to dance with other guys and what better way to start off my newly found single status than to get out there and dance.

I twisted my hair up into a bun at the back of my head and used the pony tail that I always had on my wrist to hold it in place. With a flirtatious smile plastered out on my face I got up from my seat and made my way into the crowd to find my first partner of the night.

* * *

**There is no copyright infringement of the plot of this story. This is a reworked, rewritten story that I created a few years ago, posted on this, and had to take down a few months due to indefinite leave. I am trying to bring back this story and what I created but in a whole different light. I was young when I wrote the first version and I have grown up, and my writing style and how I think of things are different. I wanted to see how this story would be received back onto the site.**

**Soo...I would love to hear everyone's opinion on anything and everything about this chapter. It has been a long time and it would make me very happy to hear something...anything.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I was thrilled to see a few familiar usernames from the first time I post and I was also excited about the new readers to this story. Alright, here is chapter two...**

* * *

Two

It wasn't long before I found my first partner or partners I should say. I assume that it was a group of guy friends and they didn't seem to mind that a unfamiliar female wanted to dance with them. They all came in close, enjoying when I pulled each of them individually in close to dance before moving on to another one. It was exhilarating to be able to dance with guys once more after being tied down to one for so long.

A little while later I was moving on to other guys and groups, some of them both guys and girls. It got real hot for the guys when one of the girls would pull me in for a body to body seductive dance. I didn't mind it in the least, I was used to this sort of thing. Both guys and girls wanted to be with me and then there was other girls who wanted to be me, it was nothing new.

When I was dancing with some of the girls, one in front of me and one or two behind me, we would get some cat calls. I would laugh it off before moving on once more but that was before I was suddenly interrupted by my phone buzzing. Still moving I worked on getting the phone out of my pocket to see who was calling me: Lissa Dragomir.

Lissa, Vasilisa is her birth name, has been my best friend since five-k when our teacher had asked us to spell our full names. Vasilisa Dragomir and Rosemarie Hathaway were long and hard names to spell at such a young age so I had chunked a block at her and called her a fascist bastard. I hadn't known what the words had meant at the time and I had been good at hitting a moving target. The two of us have been inseparable since, well that was after I had been sent to the principle's office for the incident.

"Hey, Liss. What's up?" I made my way off the dance floor, covering my other ear so that I could hear over the thumping music.

"Where the hell are you at?" I heard her but just barely.

"Uh…I am at 'Frost Bite.' Why?" I made it into a small hallway at the back of the club where some of the noise from the bass of the speakers was blocked.

"Adrian called me."

"Of course he called." I sighed, I could already tell that a scolding was coming and I braced myself for it. "I would rather not have to talk about this right now. I was having a really good time up until you called."

"Well, I am sorry that your relationship with Adrian is such an inconvenience for you." She was mad by my nonchalance but right then I didn't give much of a damn. "When do you plan on growing up, Rose?"

"For your information, Vasilisa," I knew that it wasn't a good idea for me to call her by her birth name but in that moment I didn't care. "I have grown up much more than you think I have. Plus, obviously you weren't told the whole story by Adrian because then you wouldn't be jumping on my case right now. Before you go chastising me next time find out the whole story."

Before she even had the chance to say a word I hung up on her and hit the off button to shut down the phone. I slid it back into my pocket and with my sour mood back I headed for the bar and sat a few seats down from a good-looking guy who already looked like he had had a few too many drinks. It was a good thing that he had already had his hair pulled back at the nape of his neck because it looked like he would be sick at any second.

"I was wondering where you had run off to earlier, Miss Rose." I looked up to see Scottie coming from the other end of the bar as he slung his towel over his shoulder. "Would you like another drink?"

"I would like a double glass of whatever you gave me last time." I folded my arms on the bar as he reached for two glasses and filled them.

I took one and tilted my head back to let the drink coat my throat, leaving a slight buzz in its wake. I then chased it down with the second shot after placing the glass on the bar and then doing the same with the second one. When I looked back at Scottie he had an eyebrow cocked, watching me with a hint of surprise.

"Your night must have gotten worse." He poured more into the shot glasses before setting the bottle down on the shelf behind him.

"That it did." I took another shot and did the same as I had done to the first two but stopped to take some peanuts to neutralize some of the effects before they got too bad. "Lissa tried to guilt trip me. I have a feeling that Adrian just told her I ran off without telling him where I went instead of telling her the full truth. I wound up going off on her, hung up before she could say anything, and turned my phone off so I didn't have to hear the bullshit."

"Don't you think that is a bit childish to do?" An unfamiliar accented voice interrupted our little conversation, shocking us.

Both Scottie and I looked to my right, down to the guy that I had thought was really drunk, but he looked sober as can be and he was looking right at me.

"No, not really. Not with the night that I have had." I took hold of the fourth glass and ran the tip of my pointer finger along the rim of the glass as I studied him.

The guy was more good looking than I had originally thought. In fact the guy was quite a piece of work with sharp deep caramel eyes that were well rounded with thick, dark lashes framing them. Those eyes would make any woman jealous of their beauty. The man also had a strong, narrow, aristocratic nose and were balanced out by thin, slightly pouty lips that looked like they could curl into a smile at any point in time. They also looked delicious, making me wonder how silky they would feel in a passionate kiss. A girl could dream, right?

I could tell that this man was quite tall, over six feet maybe about six-six or six-seven. And dear god, those he was bundled up a bit I could tell that he had some very well-defined muscles. It looked like he worked out a good bit and kept himself in shape, not like the muscle builders that you would normally see. A part of me wondered what he looked like under all that perfectly tanned Adonis skin and muscle…

A sudden heat flushed my cheeks once at the thought and I looked away to hide it.

"Relationship issues?" I didn't have to look up to know that Scottie had walked away and that the guy had moved to sit closer to me, leaving one seat between us.

"You could say that." I continued to let my finger lightly run along the rim of the glass that I was staring a hole into. "I am tired of dealing with liars and cheaters."

"I could say the same thing." I glanced over to the guy and saw that he was sipping on a glass of a clear liquid. "I just got out of a bad relationship that just happened to get worse."

"I am really sorry." I looked down, not really sure of what to say to that. "How long were you in the relationship?"

"I was in it for too long but it was actually six years. I have known her most of my life and felt it was only right to give her a fair chance since our parents are friends. Well, it's more like my mother and her step-mother are friends."

_Six years in a unhappy relationship? _ For me I couldn't seem to wrap my mind around the concept, if it was an unhappy one anyways. The guy must have really been trying to make the relationship work. But still, that was a long time to be with someone and there must have been pressure to make it work if their mothers were watching them.

I was just about to say something when I turned suddenly at my full name being called…

Dimitri

The woman that I had struck up a conversation with at the bar suddenly turned around to look across the room at something that was going on.

I realized once more that she was beautiful with curly, deep chocolate hair that flowed down to midway down her back. She had a lovely outlined silhouette, the goddess would be jealous of this woman's striking beauty. She had lightly tanned skin that gave her an exotic look with almond shaped chocolate eyes that tilted up slightly in the corners, giving her the look of a desert princess.

She also kept herself in nice shape with curves in all of the right places, especially in the waist and bust. Both were very well defined in the blue jeans and black shirt that she wore and I had the feeling that they would fit perfectly in my hands. Well, that was if I wanted to find out, which I didn't.

_You are kidding yourself, _came the growl from the furthest part of my mind. My wolf have perked up in interest at the woman that sat before me. _I would like to dig my teeth into her soft flesh._

I was just about to chastise the wolf but my attention was drawn to the woman as she stood up from the chair, looking pissed and like she was ready to take a bite out of someone. I wondered why for a split second until a male stepped into view. A male that looked like his family had both wealth and power, which rolled off of him in waves. He had brown hair that was unkempt though it looked a bit too disheveled and from what I could detect it looked like he had green eyes.

"What the hell are you doing here, Adrian," the woman that I had speaking to seemed a bit annoyed at the newcomer.

"I have been looking for you. Lissa and I have been worried sick about you. She just happened to give me the place that you would be at." The guy that she had called Adrian seemed to be really anxious, irritated, and there was something else, it sounded like desperation.

"Well, next time I don't want to be found I won't say where I am because I really didn't want to see your cheating ass again tonight." She crossed her arms against her chest, giving off a defensive air, and she lifted her chin, showing her defiance.

While I was watching all of this took place I heard my phone was buzzing in my pocket. A multimedia message was coming through, I could tell that much from the tone that I had set to it. So while I kept an eye and ear on what was going on with Adrian and the woman that I had been talking to I discretely accepted the text that Ibrahim had sent.

Suddenly the guy's anxiety and irritation disappeared, and his voice became something different completely, almost pleading. "Rose, I had hoped that we could talk about what you saw. What you saw or heard isn't what you think it is."

"Really? So the woman that I saw riding you wasn't what I actually saw or what about all the dirty talk that I heard coming from you? What was that?" I could tell from the serious look on the woman's face, which Adrian had called her Rose, that she wasn't bluffing and she wasn't afraid to let everyone else hear about his dirty laundry. "There is no point in talking about it. I am done with your sorry ass, Adrian. We are through. You had your chance, in fact you had plenty of chances, but you just wouldn't wise up or grow up."

The message downloaded and this is what it said:

_Here is a recent picture that a private investigator got of her._

I opened the picture file and was completely startled by what I saw. I glanced at the woman before me, studying her and making sure that I didn't sense any kind of problems before looking back at the photo. I couldn't believe my luck because the woman in front of me was the same woman in the photo.

Their was the same face though it was hiding behind wide sunglasses and those same long chocolate tresses though they had a red tent to them from the sun. She had a wide brilliant smile on her face as she walked with a blonde woman, who was a few inches taller than the brunettes five-six height.

_We have to protect this woman at all costs and get her back to her family._ The thought was instantaneous and the wolf in the back of mind gave a growl of agreement.

So I knew that it was time for me to get focused and take my new assignment more seriously...

"And what are you going to do about college? My money is what is paying your way through school. What do you think Lissa will say when she finds out that you left me?" His irritation was back and there was also a spark of anger behind his words.

"Well, I might as well get the whole college thing out of the way…I dropped out, simple as that. I didn't like the experience or the major that I was going for so I dropped out a little while back." I saw the anger that welled up on Adrian's face but Rose cut off whatever he was about to say with a swift motion. "As for Lissa, once she finds out what I saw and heard I think that she will side more with me than with you. And I am sure that Christian would love to beat your ass since he already hates your guts to begin with."

And as if her anger had been too much and she couldn't hold it in any longer she raised her hand and before anyone could respond she slapped Adrian hard on the cheek. But as she slapped him it was almost like she was surprised about what she had done and she covered her mouth with her hands. Rose's eyes also widened in shock and surprise as he stumbled away from the contact before staring at her.

Adrian seemed to recover quickly from the shock of being slapped and he took a step forward, anger evident on his face. "You fucking bitch."

What happened next not only caught Rose and Adrian off guard but also caught me off guard as well. Without really thinking about it I had got up from my chair when it looked like Adrian was about to make a move to hurt Rose. I shoved him away, making him stumble into people that were passing behind him, catching them off guard as well. Their was a bunch of protests from the group while he corrected himself on his feet and his eyes turned to me, fury brilliant in his eyes.

"What is your problem? You have no business getting into our problems." Adrian's hands were balled into fists and I could see the muscles bunching and relaxing before bunching once more.

"I was taught and raised that you should never put your hands on a lady." I was going to stand my ground and stand up for this woman. Adrian wasn't going to hurt the woman that was trying to get my attention behind me.

"Sir, you don't have to do this. I can handle him." I could hear the anxiety in Rose's light voice but there was also a underlying anger that I had a feeling that she didn't want for me or anyone else to hear.

"Why don't you listen to the woman and step aside so we can work this out?" His gaze was behind me, looking at Rose and there was something about his expression that seemed off and I didn't like it one bit.

"I am going to have to decline." I was serious about this, I wasn't going to let him touch Rose so if I had to I would do the fight for her.

If I hadn't known what to look for a start of a fight then I wouldn't have seen the swing that was coming.

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**I would love to hear what you guys think about this chapter and maybe any ideas that you all may have that I maybe able to work in.**

**On another note though...I maybe only able to post a chapter once a month, maybe even as late as every two months. It all depends on how long it takes me to get the chapters typed, I have only gotten to chapter 4 and that is where I have been stuck over the last month. It just so happen that a surprise came into my life and has left me tired and unfocused so I have not been able to get myself real motivated but I will try to get somewhere so that I can post next month. I am going to try to post around the 22nd of every month. I hope that you all understand.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I know that it has been more than 2 months since I last posted. I am sorry for that, life has gotten quite hectic since my last post. My fiancé had a job transfer so we had to move and with my first child on the way I have been left worn out.**

**But anyways, enjoy this chapter...**

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Three

Rosemarie

Warmth touched my face, rousing me from the restless sleep that I had been plagued by for most of the night, and blinked my eyes a few times to see the curtain was pulled back from the window. A low groan of pain slipped past my lips as I pulled the blanket up to cover my face and turned over so that I didn't have to see so much light. I settled back into the warmth of the soft bed before realizing something...

I sat up real quick but instantly regretted the sudden movement as a sharp pain began throbbing in my temple and my stomach began to churn uneasily. My mind was still a bit cloudy from the drinks that I had drunk last night and from the late night that I had obviously had. Which seemed to all hit me at once as I leaned over the side of the bed and grabbed the trash can from beside the chestnut nightstand before puking my guts out.

Once my stomach stopped its churning and heaving I was able to sit up to look around the room. It was a very simple room with minimal furnishings, which included the queen sized bed that I was on, a nightstand, couch with a stand that held the television, and a chest of drawers. Well that was besides the one door on the other side of the bed, which I assumed was the bathroom, and a door on the other side of the couch.

The rest of the room was bare, which I assumed meant that I was in a hotel room or I was in a place where the owner didn't plan on staying too long. I wasn't sure of which situation it was and I really wasn't curious enough at the moment to find out.

Slowly I moved to the edge of the bed so that I could try to stand up and that is when I noticed a note on the nightstand. This time my interest had been caught so I picked it up and it read:

I have some business to attend to but I will be back after while. There are some fresh clothes in the bathroom for you that I picked up. Room service has already been ordered, your food will be delivered at around 11. This is the least I could do without getting another broke nose from you.

D.B.

P.S. There is a glass and some Tylenol in the bathroom for your headache.

I couldn't help but smile just a little at before frowning again when I remembered the events from the night before. It had been horrible...

_I saw it coming even before it happened because I knew that when Adrian got mad it always ended this way. I tried to warn the guy but he wouldn't listen to me and I started to become a bit panicked that he wouldn't see what was about to happen._

_I saw Adrian raise his fist and almost in slow motion a gasp escaped from my mouth at what happened next. It was hard to see from my vantage point but as Adrian went to punch the guy he reached up and took hold of his fist. In the next second Adrian was on down on one knee, his arm twisted behind his back and the other guy was leaning over him. It looked like he was whispering something in his ear._

_Anger filled Adrian's face, besides the slight hint of pain that covered his features, and I knew that something else was about to happen. Oh shit._

_Before the guy knew what was coming Adrian tilted his head down and snapped it up. I heard the sickening crack of the guy's nose and he stumbled back, surprise on his face. Though I thought it would take the guy a minute or two to recover but he was back up and aware within seconds though blood was still coming from his nose._

_He got to his feet and stared Adrian down, anticipating his next movement. But before anything else could happen I saw Jack coming our way, obviously one of the passersby had informed him of what had been going on. The other guy saw him to and relaxed though at first Adrian didn't understand what was going on until Jack and Scottie, who had come out from behind the bar, grabbed him on each side._

_Once realization hit him he started to fight them but they wouldn't let him go and they drug him through the crowd, heading towards the back entrance where they threw out anyone not obeying the house rules. When they were finally out of sight I went over to the guy's side and saw that his nose was still bleeding. He reached up to wipe the blood away and seemed to notice that he was still bleeding as well._

"_Go sit down. I will get something to hold over your nose. For now just pinch your nose and tilt your head back." I calmed myself down and gathered my bearings, my helpful side kicking in._

I had studied as a CNA during my high school years and the knowledge was still embedded deep within my veins.

_I hurried to the bathroom and grabbed several paper towels from the roll before hurrying back over to the bar to hand them to the bleeding guy. Well, that had been the intention at first but I wound up placing some of them on his nose while dabbing to catch the fresh blood._

"_Thanks." The lone word came out nasally, sounding a bit funny, compared to the guy's usually deep, masculine voice._

"_Your welcome." I smiled a little while working at trying to wipe away the worst of the blood and checking to see if the flow was slowing down. "Sorry about that though I did try to warn you about it."_

"_I don't mind. I was just trying to protect your beauty." I met his gaze as I caught his words and he seemed to catch his slip up._

_I shook my head, a small smile on my lips, though I could feel my cheeks warming a little with embarrassment. "Thank you for doing what you did. That was pretty noble since you don't know who I am."_

"_All I know is your name, Rose." I met his gaze once more confused before realizing that Adrian had said my name._

"_Rosemarie is my name, only friends call me Rose." I mumbled the words out of habit because I didn't have many friends that I let call me by that nickname though when he said the name it sounded quite nice. I wasn't going to admit it though, it took too much pride. "My full name is Rosemarie Hathaway."_

"_Sorry, Rosemarie." I pulled the paper towels away from his nose, he winced, and I saw that the bleeding had finally stopped. "My name is Dimitri, Dimitri Belikov."_

_Well that explained the accent that blended flawlessly with his words. I had heard his accent foreign exchange student from Russia back when I was in high school. I knew I recognized it from somewhere._

"_Here, Rose." I looked over to see Scottie holding a wet towel out to me. "Do either of you need me to call the cops?"_

_I looked at the guy as he looked at me before smiling at Scottie and saying, "No, I don't think that would be necessary. I think Adrian will eventually get what is coming for him."_

A little while later, once I had gotten Dimitri cleaned up we walked out of the bar together. One more thing that I wasn't about to admit was that being close to him made me feel safe though I didn't understand why. Was it because I had just watched what he had done to Adrian, protecting my honor though he didn't know me? Or was it something else completely?

Anyways, after realizing that I had no place to go I had confessed to him and he offered his room to me. I had tried to backpedal and say that he didn't have to but it seemed persistent with his offer so I had humored him. Though I have to admit I was exhausted and I didn't really want to go crawling to Lissa's in my state at the time the offer had been a good thing. One thing that I hadn't thought about was that I shouldn't be crawling into a complete strangers bed...

I stopped the thought there before it could get any further though the darker side of me seemed to like thought quite a bit, maybe even a little too much. _You were saying last night that you wanted to be in bed with a man, weren't you. If I remember correctly it wasn't just to sleep._

I blocked that voice out instantly as I placed the note back on the nightstand before carefully getting to my feet as my stomach churned a bit. It wasn't like the sickening feeling from before this time it was more like a empty feeling, the kind where your stomach is begging for some food.

I glanced to the nightstand to the clock, it read thirty-four minutes after ten. I had more than enough time to shower before the food would arrive.

Dimitri

I had been sitting in this same spot in a hole in the wall cafe near China Town when I saw the all too familiar figure of my friend and a fellow agent Rodrigo. He wore the collar of his jacket turned up like he always did to block most of the rain with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jacket. His usual dirty blonde locks was soaked, plastering itself to his forehead and the nape of his neck, though the last part I knew from previous encounters.

He ducked into the cafe and walked up to the counter casually to order a drink. I turned back to the window, looking through the tailor shop across the street to keep an eye on the intended target. I had come to find out a few hours ago that somehow the case that I had been working and the assignment that I was doing for Mr. Mazur now crossed paths somehow, in someway. I just wasn't sure of what way that was yet.

"So what happened to you, man?" I glanced up as Rodrigo sat in the chair across from me, he was eyeing my black eye and broken nose, which had tape across it.

I took a sip of my coffee before looking out the window once more. "I got into a fight at a bar last night, Rod."

"I could have guessed that. What or who was it over?" I didn't say anything, I didn't want to answer is question because that brought with it more questions than I needed. "Let me guess, it was over a woman?"

"Let it go, Rodrigo." I really wasn't in the mood to talk, especially not about the woman that I had left in my hotel room. "What did you find out about Adrian Ivashkov?"

"Besides what everybody already knows about him…he is the son of a senator and his mother is a high profile socialite, meaning that he has money coming from all angles. He loves his daddy's sweet cash just as much as he loves women, and he goes through both like it's going out of style. Well, the women part was up until about three years ago anyways." Rodrigo sipped on his coffee as he spoke, telling me nothing new or that I hadn't already figured out about Adrian.

"That stopped because of Janine Hathaway's daughter, Rosemarie."

"How do you know about that, Belikov? That relationship wasn't too much on public knowledge." Out of the corner of my eye I saw his eyebrows pull together. "Also, why am I now assigned to the case that you were working on?"

"I was reassigned to something else though it is somehow related to the assignment that I was working on." I saw two much younger guys enter the tailor shop and walked up to my intended target. Both of them were tall and slightly built but I wouldn't call them lanky. One had bronze hair and the other guy had dark brown hair, almost black. "You see those three men in there, they are a part of both assignments."

Rodrigo looked in the direction that I was looking and nodded. "They are also a part of your girlfriend Tasha's assignment."

I grimaced, feeling a bit sick to my stomach at the mention of her name and I thought about how things had ended. "Natasha and I are no longer together, Rod."

"Oh man, sorry about that." I saw out of the corner of my eye that his eyebrows had gone in surprise at my statement. "Dude, what happened?"

I hadn't told him, or anyone for that matter, about what had happened three weeks ago, all he had known was that the two of us had got into a fight. Tasha had never even talked about what happened outside from our relationship. She had wanted to try to make the relationship work but now we knew that it wouldn't work between us. I now realized how different the two of us really were.

I looked him right in the eye before saying, "She cheated on me with another man about three weeks ago but it took me until last night to finally end things with her."

"So that is what the two of you have been so secretive about. Man, I thought that she was really into you. I guess I was completely wrong on that point." He shook his head before sipping his cup, obviously having a hard time wrapping his head around the whole thing. "What do you plan on doing now?"

"I am going to do what I have been doing for the last two years, look for my little sister and find the bastard who took her from us." My eyes were trained on the three men in the store across the street as a limousine pulled up to the curb.

After a few moments Rodrigo broke the heavy silence that had settled over us. "Who authorized the assignment and the change? In your file it doesn't give a name but all we know is it was from within Russia."

"Mr. Mazur gave me the new assignment and the authorization though he is on an undercover assignment at the moment. Obviously I have now become a part of the protection detail and will be for some time."

"Oh boy, how the fuck did you get tangled up with him? I am surprised that he even put you in on anything because that man doesn't trust anyone especially if it is something worth any money." He glanced over at the counter and grimaced at something. "Damn, I need more coffee but there is a line up there. I will wait, I guess."

I wasn't about to explain the complicated history that I had with Zemy, it was too much for any one person to comprehend. The one main fact of our relationship was that I was sort of a link between two worlds, sort of like an ambassador of sorts. But more importantly I was a part of his pack, his second in command in fact.

"He has entrusted me to protect his daughter." I saw the two young men walk outside to the limousine but didn't think they were too much for my interest. I wasn't sure what I was looking for exactly but I knew that when I did things would get good.

"Wow, what really?" Rodrigo had taken a sip from his coffee cup but had choked on it when he heard what I was doing. "What's this chick's name? He must be in some really deep shit if he is asking someone to protect her."

_You're telling me something that I had already thought about. _ I had even wondered what Ibrahim had gotten himself into this time that was causing such a stir. When I had talked to him I could tell that something was off, both of us knew it in a way, a sixth sense so to say. I guess that was what made him seek my help since he had already known that I was in New York.

"Rosemarie Hathaway, the infamous Janine Hathaway's daughter."

"Oh shit. That is a hell of a mix of blood. But what the fuck does the daughter of such a powerful man and a famous women, both shifters, need protecting from?" He was speaking the words that I had been wondering to myself since I had talked to Mr. Mazur last night but for some unknown reason I couldn't seem to wrap my mind around it. What did Rosemarie need protecting from?

An hour later things seemed to slow down a bit so I decided that this was a dead end for now. It was going to take me a few days to find out what alias Cordias Vladimir was doing here, who he was associated with, and what he had to do with my sister's disappearance.

I found myself looking at my watch every so often and at this point it was nearly two in the afternoon. I sighed as my mind wandered back to the hotel room where Rosemarie was still hopefully at right now. Anxiety started to filter into my stomach, wondering if she was alright.

I had sent Rodrigo a while ago to go by the hotel to keep surveillance on her for me while I watched my assignment. But after nothing of interest besides the two men this morning that had visited I realized that today wasn't going to be too eventful and decided to wrap it up.

I gathered my duster and placed a tab, plus a tip for the table cleaner, under the sugar container. I slipped it on then flipped the collar up to cover my neck and lower part of my face before finally venturing out into the bitter cold wind that had swept through overnight.

I was used to the cold from living in Siberia but this cold was much different than what I was used to. This cold had a bite to it that I found uncomfortable and it became even more so when my phone beeped. I sighed and gave a little as I thought that the message was something from Rodrigo but when I looked it was an unrestricted number.

A chill went up my spine as I stopped dead in my tracks, making a few people give a cry of protest at my sudden halt but none of that mattered when I opened the message…

_You better watch out because I've got eyes on you…and the girl._

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**Tell me what you all think about this chapter. I didn't get many reviews last time but that is fine even the few that I got I enjoyed.**

**Okay…another reason that I haven't been able to post is because we don't have Internet where we live so the next post may come a little late as well, depending upon how everything goes. Again, I will try to post once a month, if not every other month. I just recently finished with chapter five and trying to work on chapter six but it is a slow process at the moment. I hope to get done with six and the next few chapters over the next month or so.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I know that it has been a good while since I last posted...I still don't have internet so I post when I have the chance to and when I feel like I need to. I have been at work on trying to get somewhere with the story and right now I am working on chapter 8. It is becoming a slow progress and as my pregnancy has progressed it is taking me longer and longer to get these chapters together and figure out where I am going with the story. But I am trying...I have not given up on this story. I hope to see it through, it will just take time and patience if you all have it.**

**But anyways...here is chapter 4...**

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Four

As I rushed down the street, trying to get back to the hotel to check on Rose, but I called Rodrigo to see if he could somehow check on her. Without much hesitation, and without an explanation, he hung up and went to work on whatever plan he was concocting. I slipped the phone into my pocket, pulled the collar up closer around my neck, and briskly walked down the last couple of blocks back to the private hotel that I had been assigned to.

Even though I wasn't usually paranoid but for some reason, while I was heading back to the hotel, I found myself looking around, feeling eyes on me everywhere I went. It was so hard to find anyone that was suspicious in such a large crowd of people and I found myself nearly spinning with all the faces. My mind was in a whirlwind of thoughts and there was also a bit of panic underlying all of it.

I wasn't far from the hotel but it felt like it was taking forever to get there. So I decided not too look around anymore and just focused more on getting back to the hotel and find out if anything had gone wrong.

The hotel came into view and I let out a sigh that I hadn't realized I had actually been holding. My fast pace turned into a full on sprint to get to the front door and as my eyes went to the elevator, just as the doors were opening, there stood Rodrigo. It didn't take much for him to catch sight of me and started to make his way in my direction.

"Dude, I just seen Rose and I can't believe that you aren't doing her. She is hot." He knew how I was about such things but yet I guess that is the reason that he picked on me about the whole thing. "Oh, also, she was with some guy."

_What?!_ _There was another guy in my room_?

I didn't give Rodrigo much of a chance to say anything more because I sprinted by him to the elevator just before the doors closed. I heard him saying something behind me but in the moment I didn't really care because I was furious and horrified. Had someone already gotten to her before my assignment had really begun? Had I already failed?

I was anxious, jittery, as I waited for the elevator to reach the nineth floor and when the doors opened I stood their confused. Rodrigo stood there grinning from ear to ear and he was laughing...at me?

"What's so damn funny," I asked in annoyance as he took a few steps back as I stepped out of the elevator before the doors closed once more.

I started down the hallway towards the room but Rodrigo grabbed hold of my shoulder before I could get too far. I turned to him, my anger still burning hot in my veins and my hands balled up into two tight fists, and stared him down. Behind that anger there was also a dull spark of confusion as I continued to wonder what he was so cheery about.

"What?"

"Dude, chill out. I was just trying to pull your leg, there is no guy. Rosemarie was there alone, it sounded like the TV was on behind her, so there is no harm. You need to loosen up though before you self combust." As he had spoke my anger towards her melted but then that anger reverted itself towards Rodrigo and I glared at him.

"You are an asshole, you know that right?" I turned, making my way down the hallway in a much less frenzied pace, trying to calm myself though for some reason my heart was racing more than a mile a minute.

"I have been called much worse things, moy droog." Out of the corner of my eye I noticed that he was smirking as he matched my long stride though he was a bit shorter than I was.

"I am guessing that it was all by women," I mumbled more to myself than to him.

"They love this body badly, man. I can't turn a beautiful woman down if they want some of this. I also can't help that I am unable to stay faithful to just woman though there is enough of me to go around." Rodrigo was an arrogant person for the most part, thinking and believing that he was the goddess's gift to women. He wasn't really a bad guy though because under all that arrogance he had a heart of gold. It was a bit of a surprise after a rather hard, bad, and a somewhat strange upbringing but he turned out alright, just like I did.

I found that I couldn't help but grin and roll my eyes at his deep seated arrogance as I dug in my pocket for the key card to open the door.

I looked over to Rodrigo as he leaned up against the wall beside the door. "Don't you have to be somewhere or have to go annoy someone else for a change?"

"Harsh, dude. I was hoping that you would be nice enough to properly introduce me to the pretty lady that is shacked up in your room for goddess knows how long." He raised his eye brows a few times and I knew what he was up to even without the words.

"Rod, no, she is an assignment, not something for you to toy with while I am gone. I have an idea that she won't even go for you." He was starting to get on my nerves a bit now and I had the sudden urge to knock him a good one.

"Well, if the way that she had assessed me a little while ago when I had brought her the bouquet of pink roses was any indication of her interest then why don't you let me be the judge of that."

_Don't you let him anywhere near her_, growled the wolf in the back of my head. He was quite aware of what Rodrigo was referring to and he wasn't happy about it as much as I was. It was a sudden possessive, animalistic, side of me that I was surprised by because I had never had such intense feelings before. It was overwhelming and I wasn't sure of where it had come from or what to do about it. _You know where it came from, you fool._

I chose to ignore that last statement as I slid the card and the lock opened, letting me into the room. My mood had soured so my words came out a bit moe harshly than I had intended it to. "Get lost, Rodrigo, maybe you can pester me about this later."

"Alright, see you later and I look forward to our first meeting." I looked to see that he was grinning from ear to ear as he passed behind me, patting my shoulder, and headed down the hall toward the elevator.

No sooner had I stepped into the room did Rosemarie's silky voice reach me, wrapping itself around me. It was hesitate, making it feel as if she didn't realize what she was doing. She was a temptress alright and she tempted the wolf within, testing his and my restraint.

"Was that the same guy that delivered these pink roses?" I turned as I let the door close behind me with a click to see Rose coming out of the bathroom, her long, beautiful chocolate tresses thrown messily up into a bun.

"Uh…yeah, it was. He's actually a good friend of mine." Well, it was a half truth but I wasn't going to tell her that the guy that she assumed was a flower deliverer was actually an agent just like me. It would probably be down the road before I tell her that fact.

"Hmm…" She leaned over to smell the roses, a small smile, a smile of content, tugged at her lips. "They smell lovely and they are my favorites, though I am at a lose at who sent them. I even argued with him when he showed up at the door about him having the wrong room but he insisted that they were for me. I kind of gave up on the whole thing."

I didn't say anything about the subject because I wasn't going to give it away that I had sent him to check on her after receiving that disturbing text message. It had his been his own decision of how he was going to check up on her.

_You better watch out because I've got eyes on you…and the girl._

The cryptic message still sent a shiver of fear and anxiety down my spine and I hated it. I didn't have much of a choice though because someone was looking and they knew exactly who she was related to. So I made my way toward the bathroom and closed the door behind me to block myself from Rose for a time, no matter how short that was.

Rosemarie

I stared at the bathroom door for a long moment, confused about his strange actions, before turning away, walking over to the bedside table, and grabbed my phone. I figured that it was time to check to see what messages there was and I wasn't surprised to see there was less than a handful of calls and texts from Adrian. I really wasn't surprised when I saw that Lissa had left more than a dozen text, over a dozen calls, and more than half a dozen voice mails.

I listened to the voice mails and all of them consisted of her wanting me to call, and saying that she had talked to Adrian and that she was sorry for the accusations. She sounded more frantic and worried with each message that I listened to and when I got to the last one I checked to see when it was left. She had left the last one about an hour ago, so I decided that it was time for me to get in touch with her.

After going into my previous calls I tapped on Lissa's number and waited for her to pick. I didn't have to wait too long though because she picked up on the second ring, sounding both relieved and surprised, "Rose, thank heavens that you are safe. I was getting worried about you when I didn't hear back from you."

"I am sorry for not getting in touch with you sooner I just needed some time to myself."

"You shouldn't be the one apologizing, I should be. I am sorry that I didn't give you a chance to explain before being so harsh to you about Adrian. Can you ever forgive me for being such a bitch?" She sounded so torn and sympathetic, and I knew that she meant what she said.

Vasilisa Sabrina Rhea Dragomir, Lissa, was the daughter of Eric and Rhea Dragomir, who were both killed in a car accident two and a half years ago. It also killed her older brother, Andre, whom she had adored quite dearly, they had both been very close growing up. Eric had been the CEO of Dragomir Real estate, a real estate agency for the rich, famous, and politics, and his wife Rhea was a social butterfly, she was the reason for the base that started their clientele.

If Rhea didn't know someone that had come into town then she was going to know them and they all loved her for her out going, charismatic attitude towards life. It had been hard when people heard about her passing and the visitation for Rhea, her husband, and son had carried on for hours, working from mid-morning until nearly ten that night. Lissa had been depressed and torn up about the whole thing because she had gotten into an argument with her parents just hours before and she was supposed to have been in the car with them. I hadn't to think that she could have been dead along with them.

"Lissa, of course I forgive you, you are my best friend after all and no matter what I can never stay mad at you. You are the other half of me that is more sensible." A small smile curled up the corner of my lips because that second part was a truth, she was the common sense that always whispered in the back of my mind about what was right and wrong.

Lissa had never really been completely right after the accident but was either of us?

"I wish that I had listened to you for once about Adrian, I didn't realize or see what was going on between the two of you. I never realized that it was so bad between the two of you and I apologize for thinking that you hadn't grown up when in reality you have. I feel so bad for acting the way that I did." I could hear the sincerity in her voice and I could tell that she felt really bad about her accusations from the night before. "I am also sorry for making you feel like you had to stay with Adrian for all this time, especially after everything that he has done to you since the two of you have been together. I really thought that he would be good for you and maybe he would give you a good future."

"Lissa, I can understand where you were coming from and I would have done the same thing for you. Besides, are you really sure that Aaron is the right guy for you?"

Aaron Drozdov was Lissa's on-again, off-again boyfriend for the last five or six years, I couldn't really remember which. She had lost her virginity to him about four years ago and though she said it hadn't been that good she decided to stay with him and try to work it out. She had told me numerous times that she was going to break it off with him but then something would change her mind. I had never understood the relationship and I didn't understand why she stayed with him for so long if she was so unhappy with him.

I heard her sigh and I imagined that she was rubbing the back of her neck like she usually did when she was unsure. "That is a very difficult topic for me to discuss right now, Rose. Let's just say that Aaron has become quite distant with me lately and if this keeps up I will definitely consider breaking up with him…definitely this time."

"I support whatever decision that you make, you know that, and you know that I have never thought that you belonged with him. I believe strongly that he isn't right for you in any way, he seems to bring the worst out in you." I wasn't lying about that last part.

Over the last few months I have seen my best friend go into a spiral that I had seen less than a handful of times before. Depression was the most common denominator and when Lissa got depressed it didn't go real well. She had plenty of scars that proved that and I had spent plenty of nights with her in the hospital, sometimes for multiply days when Aaron was nowhere to be found. I was scared and worried to see what the next time was going to be like when she ended up in the hospital. I also feared that the next time it happens that I wouldn't be able to be there for her, which filled me with dread.

"I know, Rose, I promise that I won't lose control like I usually do. But truthfully, I am seriously considering ending it with him this time, once and for all. Our relationship isn't going anywhere, anytime soon and I have a feeling that it's only going to lead to a lot of hurt." There was a strange silence before she came back on the line. "Rose, I need to go. Aaron just got back so I will talk to you later. I love you."

"Alright…I love you too, Lissa. Text me if you need me. Bye." As soon as I said the word the line went dead and for a moment I held the phone to my ear, feeling a little sick to my stomach all of a sudden.

Dimitri

I stood in the bathroom, listening to Rose talk to someone on the phone, catching only the last part of the conversation and feeling a little bad. I wondered idly what her friend was dealing with and I sympathized with Rose because she had someone leaning on her for strength when she needed it as well. I had lost a friend and it seemed to me that she was worried about the same thing happening to her friend.

I shook my head, not wanting to ponder on it because that meant that I was putting my feelings before logic, and prepared myself to walk through the door. When I opened the door Rose was sitting at the end of the couch, her feet tucked under her, and she seemed to be staring off toward the window, her pupils dilated. I figured that I would leave her be and went over to the bed to lay down, draping my arm over my eyes to block out some of the light.

My mind had begun to drift when Rose's voice reached out to me. "Can I ask you something?"

I moved my arm, my brain a little foggy from lack of sleep and the fact that I had been so close to sleep just then. Rose saw my face and I could see the hesitation and regret.

"I am sorry. My mouth opened before I realized what I was saying. You should get some sleep, you look exhausted." A light pink blush began to color her cheeks, it wasn't really noticeable but for some reason I knew that it was there.

"Go ahead and ask, I can get some sleep in a little while no worries."

She bit at her lip, which stirred something deep within me but I wasn't up to assessing it right now so I pushed it to the back of my mind. I wanted to get up, go over to her, and bite that lip for her or smooth it out from between her teeth, I wasn't sure of which. They seemed to be dead even on intensity and affect.

"How did you know what size clothes I wore?" The words seemed to have come out without her thinking about it once more and I felt a small smile curl at the edge of my lips.

I had to take my gaze away from her before she could she the pain that was written all over my face. My heart ached for the one person I missed most and felt that I had let down in some way.

In a sad, yet humble voice I said, "I had a sister that is the same age as you."

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**Reviews, please? They are greatly welcomed and I love to see them. They make me very happy. Also, I would like to know your opinions and what ideas you may have.**

**This story has changed from the way it was to begin with. I have also decided that the title for the story may change, I am still debating on that. But I have already figured out that the story _will_ be longer than it was before. Possibly 3 parts instead of the original 2 that I had done for the regular story, it's just basically a see where it goes. The whole process is still in the works and right now I am trying to piece together everything that is going to happen within this first part.**


	5. Chapter 5

**_Oh dear...I am so terribly sorry that it has taken so long for me to update. I have been exhausted and so much has been going on in the last nearly 5 months. My pregnancy wore me down so I was unable to focus on the story but I did finally have my baby boy almost 7 weeks ago, he is quite a handfull. And over the last 2 weeks we had been planning my wedding, which took place yesterday..._**

**_Also, when I post the next chapter there will be a different name for the story..._**

**_Anyways...I will stop my chatter for now and let you all get to reading..._**

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Five

Rosemarie

_He has a sister the same age as me?_ It caught me off guard completely and I covered my mouth to cover the gasp that threatened to escape.

I had had a feeling that he had a family but I hadn't realized until that moment that maybe he was in the states because of it.

My brain went back to one word, one word that it had caught on to in a second.

"What do you mean by you _had_ a sister?" I felt saddened by his words and the fact that there was a part of his life missing.

He seemed to hesitate in that moment, realizing that he had slipped up and I noticed him swallow before speaking. "My youngest sister has been missing for nearly a year now."

A strong pang of longing and sadness swept through me, it was nearly overwhelming. "I am so sorry. I realize that it must be hard for you knowing that someone you were so close to you is gone. Is that the reason why you are here in the states?"

A part of me wanted to go over and comfort him but I held myself back, not sure of how the gesture would be received. I had never really felt the lose of family before because I wasn't close to my own family though the only family I knew of was my mother, who I didn't see often enough to feel any affection for. But there was a part of me that felt that the lose of the Dragomir family was the closest thing that I would get to real lose.

"My sister had been my main priority until recently." He seemed uncomfortable with where the topic was heading that much was easy to tell and I wondered what it was that he was keeping from me. Between him not wanting to look me in the eye and his sudden fidgety behavior, it was quite apparent.

But that wasn't what I was thinking about because his last statement bothered me for some reason. I thought about it for a moment, trying to understand, and I was just about to say something about it when I was pulled from the conversation by my phone.

I had set my phone on the arm of the chair so I picked it up to see who was calling and I was surprised by the name.

"Natalie," I answered, confused. "It has been a long time. How have you been?"

Natalie wasn't really a friend of mine but more of an acquaintance through Lissa and her family. The two of them had met a few years back at a function that Natalie's father had thrown for the new partnership between the families. Victor Dashkov and Eric Dragomir had known one another for years and at one point had been rivals in the real estate business. They had been friends ever since though recently their friendship seems to have taken a hit though neither one will talk much about it.

"Oh, it's the same old, same old. I just got back from France, though I spent most of the last few months touring across Europe. I wanted to call and see if you wanted to have some girl time, it has been too long since I was able to catch up with you and Lissa."

Another thing about Natalie, she was spoiled to the max and wasn't shy to show it. Her rich father gave her everything that she wanted and she could go anywhere in the world if she asked him. Her and Lissa were both heiresses to the company but Lissa wasn't so outgoing with her money as Natalie was. The two were night and day and I wondered once more what it was that Lissa saw in her very eccentric friend.

"Umm…when were you thinking about meeting up? I would have to get back to you because I am sort of tied up at the moment." I hesitated, glancing over to Dimitri's form, where he was laying on the bed though now he was watching me and his expression was unreadable.

"What do you mean that you are tied up?" Natalie sounded exasperated, yet there seemed to be an underlying tone of curiosity in her voice. I was just about to say something but she cut me off, "Never mind, we can talk about it when you and Lissa get here. I already called Lissa about coming, and she is, but she told me to call you too."

"You are talking about getting together now?" I was nervous all of a sudden, my heart plummeting to the pit of my stomach as I looked over to the clock, it was just after four. "Natalie, I don't know if I can meet today."

"Of course you can silly." She sounded exasperated now and I had a feeling that she was rolling her eyes at me. "Rosemarie Hathaway, can do anything that she wants, remember? Or are you too busy to hang with your friends?"

In that moment my eyes narrowed to slits at the hint of malice in her voice. Natalie was a sweet girl when she wanted to be but she wasn't always so sweet and innocent like she had been acting. She was the type of girl that could be vicious and conniving in a damn heartbeat if she didn't get her way. That was how spoiled the girl was.

"I can't just drop everything and do your bidding, Natalie. I don't have money like you do and I certainly don't flaunt myself wherever I go. I am much more modest than that." I was in no mood to deal with her bullshit today, I was already worried about Lissa to begin with.

But then I remembered something, she had wanted to meet up with Lissa and I. Which meant that Lissa was going to be away from Aaron for a little while, meaning that maybe I could talk more sense into her.

"Fine," I said before she could go off on a temper tantrum. I wasn't in the mood for one of those today. "I will meet the two of you. Where am I meeting you at?"

In a flash her sweet, innocent self came back and I so wanted to strangle the girl. "We are meeting at…"

Dimitri

I had somehow gotten myself talked into going out with Rosemarie and I sat in a cafe that was directly across from the boutique that Rose and her friends had entered into just fifteen minutes before. But it hadn't gone past my notice to not look the other two girls over, studying them and committing what they looked like to memory.

The first girl that Rose came up to was a bit taller than she was with angelic features. This girl was quite captivating with platinum-blond curls. What was unusual was her pale complexion and to me she seemed a bit too thin. I wondered idly if there was some reason that she looked the way that she did but I pushed the thought to the back of my mind, trying to focus on the other girl.

Rose was less enthusiastic to hug the girl, who was about the same height as Rose just a tad bit taller, though she did it less warmly with a bit of friendliness. She had short mahogany curls that framed a round, pretty face though it was a bit offset by the blocky, black glasses that she wore. She seemed chatty as they walked into the boutique, might I add it was a wedding boutique, and were greeted by another woman blonde, who took them towards the back of the store.

I sipped on a coffee for the second time that day but kept an eye on Rose, who at first looked like she was arguing with the blonde woman and the brunette but gave in minutes later. The blonde walked about the store quickly, obviously knowing exactly what she was looking for, before making her way back to the dressing rooms and opening one of the doors.

"So…what are you doing here, Dimka?" I had been so focused on what was going on in the boutique that I jumped, trying to keep from flinching, at the all-too-familiar voice.

I had to pull my attention away from Rose and her friends in the boutique, my muscles tightening in response to the intrusion, my eyes came to a lovely face that I had known for so many years. Tasha stood there, a look of slight curiosity drawn across her features, her thin, pale arms folded across her chest that sad anything but relaxed. She looked as she always had though now I saw her in a completely different light after the other day when I had broken up with her.

Tasha had always been tall, thin, looking like a model, but there was one thing that said differently. That scar that she had made all the difference but don't get me wrong, if she didn't have that she would have been a great model. She had received that scar when we had been on an assignment in Bulgaria, our subject known as the 'Slasher'. The guy had embedded blades into his nail beds and I definitely didn't want to think about he had gotten them there. That thought always sent a wave of terror through me though I would never admit it.

"What are _you_ doing here?" I added emphasis to the 'you' bit. I was in no mood to see or deal with her right now.

I was beyond irritated when she sat in the seat across from me and crossed her legs as I turned back to the boutique to make sure that Rose was still there. Sure enough she was and she was laughing about something that her blonde haired friend had said. So I figured that she would be fine and turned back to Tasha, who was receiving a cup of coffee from the waitress with a smile.

She sipped on it for a moment before setting it down on top of a napkin and addressing me. "Though you don't need to know, I am on assignment right now. One of the subjects in question that I am looking for is supposed to be here any minute. So I ask you again, what are you doing here?"

"Same as you, on an assignment but I actually have her staying with me for the time being." The instant the words were out I regretted it because I was never supposed to give away what this assignment was about since it was private.

I felt her eyes shift, she was open and friendly on second and then there was a hardening that made my skin crawl. "Wow…crawling out of the bed of one woman and right into another one, are we?"

For some reason her words infuriated me and I turned my gaze on her, narrowing my eyes. The accusation was there in the look, I could feel it burning out of me. "You did the _same_ thing while we were together. I at least waited till I was out of the relationship to do so."

The words were wrong and completely off because they weren't true in the since of my non-relationship with Rose but the intention behind them was clear: they were meant to hurt.

They did exactly that because I could see the hurt and vulnerability that they had caused, giving me a small though very short semblance of triumph. The feeling was fleeting though as I saw tears form at the rim of her eyes and I saw that she was trying to fight them back.

Her gaze fell away, which shocked me because she usually never backed down like this in an argument, but she didn't look back up. "I am truly sorry, Dimitri. I had never intended for you to get hurt like that, I was just so lonely with you being away on assignments so much. I know that it is no excuse for how I have hurt you in the past and recently."

Now she looked at me though with an expression that I had never seen on her before. "I had done a lot of thinking in the past three weeks since you walked out and I want to apologize because I realize that I have wronged you in so many ways. I have wronged both of us too much and for way too long. All I want from you is for you to still be my friend though I know that I don't deserve it, not now, but maybe in the future. I would like to try to put our friendship back together, if you want."

"Tasha, I don't know if we could ever be friends like we were growing up…" I wasn't sure of what I was trying to say but I guess a deep part of me knew as I said, "but maybe once I have healed we could try to be friends…again."

And that is when I saw the first genuine smile on her face that I had not seen in years, not since before we had tried to have a relationship. I was the kind of smile that I had always lived for when she was my best friend all those years ago. I loved seeing it and it warmed me a bit, melting a small piece of the hurt that she had caused in my heart.

"Thank you, Dimitri." I noticed her gaze move to the window, the smile slipping off her face as she watched movement. "Ah, there is that bastard."

I looked out the window to see what or who she was talking about and that was when I saw all-too-familiar brown hair.

_Son of a bitch…_

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**_So tell me what you all think. I would also love to hear any suggestions that you all may have. I have only seven chapters finished and eight is giving me a bit of trouble but I will continue to work on it. I hope to be able to post another chapter again soon._**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello there. I know that it has been a while since I last posted and I am deeply sorry for the delay. I just recently moved and for the longest time I have been suffering through writer's block and I have only recently started working on the story again. I am now starting on chapter 9 so hopefully the delays will not be so far apart, especially now that I have internet.**

**Also, there was a comment that someone posted after the last chapter. To whomever that was, I _did not _copy this story, this is my original work. I still have the original draft and I am continuously looking through that draft to help me come up with this story. Not everything will come out the same, my mind has changed a lot since that draft so naturally nothing will be the same. I am keeping to the main idea, some things will stay in this new draft and then there will be new ideas as you can see. Thank you.**

**Anyways...enjoy...**

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Six

Rosemarie

Though I had not originally wanted to come with Natalie I couldn't help it when she mentioned that Lissa would be joining us. I wanted to see my best friend again since it had been a few days since I had last seen her and I was quite worried about her with the whole Aaron situation. She looked good enough when I saw her but I noticed dark circles under her eyes and she seemed a bit fidgety.

I left the topic alone for the time being and followed her and Natalie into the boutique that Natalie had requested for me to meet them at. It was a rather expensive boutique, not one that I would normally go shop at, especially now since I didn't have any money to spend. But what really surprised me was the fact that it was a wedding boutique. When did Natalie start planning a wedding? Better yet, who the hell was she engaged to because I didn't know that she was dating anyone?

The look on Lissa's face told me she was thinking along the same lines as I was, the confusion was evident on her face. But she smiled and chatted with Natalie, acting as if this was normal and like nothing was out of the ordinary.

Natalie tried on several different dresses while Lissa and I sat, watching and commenting or criticized the dresses that she tried on. Or really it was more Lissa was the one commenting on the dresses, I was not as fashionably gifted about what looked good or not on other people. When it came to my clothing I knew exactly was looked good and what didn't. So I just went along with my dear friend, agreeing with what she said, and added comments along the way.

At one point I found myself looking out the window, looking for any sign of Dimitri but I could not pinpoint where he was. There had been times where I could feel his eyes on me and I tried to push the feeling to the back of my mind but it seemed that it would never stay away for very long. But lately I couldn't feel his eyes watching me and I felt cold, empty even, which I found quite odd.

Suddenly I was drawn out of my thoughts when Natalie squealed with what I assumed was delight, I couldn't be sure, and my attention was brought back. I looked to her, seeing her face lit up as she stepped off the pedestal that she had been standing on, in a dress that looked quite awful in my opinion. My eyes landed on the limo that was parked in front of the boutique and I quirked an eyebrow. _Who was here now?_

My thoughts changed to absolute mortification when behind a tall, bulky guy with short dark brown hair was Adrian Ivashkov.

_You have got to be kidding me?_ I could not believe that he was here and I would have to deal with him for god knows how long.

I felt Lissa's eyes flicker over to me with concern but I ignored her, not wanting her to see that I was freaking out on the inside. So I tried to focus on who else got out of the limo to see Jesse Zeklos, another son of a state senator, and behind him an older gentleman got out. It took me a moment to figure out who it was but when I realized who it was I gasped.

Victor Dashkov, Natalie's father, who was in his forties but looked like he'd aged nearly ten years or so since I had last seen him, which I realized had been a long while. He now had to walk with a cane, a bit hunched, and he looked brittle, which was the best that I could describe him as. His once curled brown hair had now turned to gray, no traces of those brown locks were left and his once jade green eyes had dulled a good bit but they still held their usual light. In a way he still looked like the man that I had always known him to be but then there was others where I didn't recognize him so much.

The four men walked in and as the other guys were talking I saw Adrian's gaze drift over to us, his eyes quickly coming to me. His gaze hardened, yet softened a bit and I chose not to acknowledge him, turning my attention to Lissa, who looked at me. She gave a small smile that told me that she was sorry and was telling me a heck of a lot more.

In return I gave her a smaller smile before crossing one leg over the other, turning my whole body towards her, and crossed my arms across my chest. I didn't even look at him as they were intercepted by a somewhat older gentleman, who took them to the other side of the store that partitioned our side from the men's. I was grateful for that little reprieve though now my mood had soured a bit from seeing his sorry ass.

I soon found out that the other man, the one that I hadn't recognized, was the one that Natalie was engaged to and that they had been dating for just over a year. I also found out that she was pregnant and both mine and Lissa's mouths dropped open, shocked beyond belief by this bit of news.

"Are you serious? You're pregnant?" Lissa was the first to recover from the shock.

"Yes I am. I found out about two weeks ago. I am about three and a half months right now though I know that I don't look it." She seemed a bit self-conscious suddenly.

_I'll be damned,_ I thought to myself. I had always thought that Lissa or I would have been one of the first to get pregnant, not the chatty and sweet Natalie.

"I can't believe it. I don't really know what to say, Natalie, besides congratulations on the upcoming wedding and baby. That is so…awesome." Lissa jumped up, excited, and went over to give Natalie a tight squeeze before realizing what she was doing and quickly pulled away. "Oh, I am so sorry. I just got so excited."

Natalie's hand drifted down to her stomach where I finally noticed a small bump was forming along her abdomen. I was still in shock over the whole thing.

"Congratulations, Nat. I think you would be a great mother and wife." Though really in my mind I was thinking the exact opposite but for today, for her sake, I was going to keep my real thoughts to myself.

"Thanks, Rose." She gave me a warm, friendly smile before heading off towards the dressing room.

"I guess you really have gotten your act together after all, Rose." I glanced over to Lissa, noticing the awestruck look on her face.

"I guess the whole thing with Adrian has made me see that I was so immature but I know that I still have a long way to go before I get over that phase." I gave her a smile and she gave one in return.

It seemed like hours later but it had be a little more than two hours when the three of us stepped out of the boutique after Natalie's dress 'looking' adventure. Natalie said that she had a date to get ready for and Lissa told her that she would be fine, she would find another ride home.

The two of us parted ways with Natalie and as she jumped into her car we waved goodbye to her. Once she was gone Lissa turned to me, looking a bit more tired than she had been before. But I decided once again, since we were standing on a busy street that I would hold off on talking to her about anything.

"Would you like to get some coffee or a bite to eat? I know that I am a bit famished and parched." As soon as those words left her mouth my stomach made its presence known with a loud growl that made both of us laugh. "Well, I guess that answers my question."

Still laughing a bit we looked both ways before crossing the street to the little cafe that I knew Dimitri was still watching from. As we entered I could feel his eyes on me but I didn't look his way, instead I just gave a small half smile in acknowledgement as the two of us crossed the cafe to grab a booth.

I slid in on the side against the wall, Lissa directly across from me, and this time I let my eyes wander around the cafe. Dimitri was still there, a cup in front of him, and I noticed that he was talking, or somewhat talking, to a raven haired woman across from him. His eyes slid from his companion, catching hold of mine for just a few seconds, before looking away and laughing at something the woman had said.

That one look had told me that I was safe so I relaxed and all the tension that had built up in my body seemed to release. But then there was another emotion, one that I didn't quite recognize but it felt like envy because he was talking to another woman. A little bit of my tension came back and I felt my hand, the one I had under the table, ball up tight.

"Rose?" I was snapped from my thoughts by Lissa. I blinked a few times to regain my focus and looked at her. "Do you know what you would like?"

"Oh, I am sorry." It was then that I realized that a woman was standing at the edge of the table with a pad in her hair, waiting expectantly. "I would like a bacon cheeseburger, a large order of fries, and a large coke, please."

She jotted it down quickly before saying, "I will be back with your drinks in a moment."

Once she was gone I noticed the determined look on Lissa's face and knew that I was in for some trouble. "What has got into you today? You didn't talk much at the boutique and now you seem to be drifting off into la-la land all of a sudden. Is there something going on that I should know about?"

I laughed at her choice of words and her brows furrowed. "I am sorry, Lissa. I guess I have just been distracted very easily. I am still trying to figure out where I am going to go and what to do with my life."

Lissa reached over and placed her hand over mine, a small smile on her lips. "Rose, you know that I love you like a sister and if you need help, all you have to do is ask for it. If you need money you can have it, the same thing goes for a place to stay. I don't mind helping you, especially after everything that you have done for me over the last couple of years. I owe you so much, so I want to return the favor."

I knew that she meant what she was saying but I couldn't seem to bring myself to ask her for money or a place to stay, instead I found myself pursing my lips together. I was trying to weasel my way out of this conversation before I got too far in but then I thought of something. "Speaking of a place, what is the deal with Aaron?"

Lissa opened her mouth to say something but didn't get to because the waitress walked over with our drinks then. I noticed that she was nervous about this topic as she took her drink and quickly took a sip from it and as she sat it down her hand was shaking. Instantly I had a feeling that I wasn't going to like what I was about to hear her say.

It took a long moment before she started talking, though I did notice that she was also wringing her fingers together, and she wouldn't look at me. "I had thought that things were getting better between us a month ago. He was going as far as bringing home a large assortment of flowers, chocolates, and planning nights out for the two of us. We even had a few surprise out of town trips that were wonderful and extravagant."

It was then that I noticed that she was biting on her lower lip, which was something that I had always done when I was nervous. This was the first time I had ever seen her act this way, it was sort of unsettling because she was usually the collected one. "But within the last week all that has stopped and he has been quite moody lately. Now I am seeing a completely different side to him that I have never seen before, a part that I don't even recognize."

I really didn't like where the tone of her voice was going, it was sad and pained, almost like she was afraid to say what was coming. My heart seemed to drop into my stomach, making me suddenly feel sick.

"It has even gotten to the point that he has hit me."

Dimitri

My tension seemed to ease a bit to have Rose in the same building as me, it made it that much easier for me to focus. Though I was still tense talking to Tasha I at least felt a little bit better with her so near. I wasn't sure what it was about her presence but for some reason when Rose was close I felt calm, as did the wolf within.

"You sense _her_ presence, don't you?" I focused back on Tasha, who was looking behind herself in the direction of where Rose and her friend was seated.

"I don't know what you mean." I didn't want her to know what I already knew but I had a feeling that it was too late for that.

"How can you not feel it?" She gave me a look that told me that I was stupid and that I wasn't telling the truth. "The brunette over in the corner booth. Her presence is rather strong and you can't feel it? You are either blind or trying to ignore it."

I stayed quite, trying to keep my thoughts closed off but it seemed that something had slipped through my façade.

"You are ignoring it. What aren't you telling me?" Suspicion was written all over her face as she eyed me, knowing that I was hiding something.

I was just about to tell her that I wasn't ignoring it when my phone started to ring. I slipped the phone out of my pocket and looked to see who the caller was on the screen: Ibrahim Mazur. _Of course he was calling._

I sighed before looking back to Tasha. "I have to take this."

Before she had the chance to reply I slipped out of the booth, glancing at Rose for a fraction of a second just as she looked at me, and then slipped out the door.

"This is Belikov speaking." It was always a curt, straight forward answer with Mr. Mazur and he liked it that way.

"Ah, Dimitri." His Turkish accent slid across his words. "How are things going in New York? Have you found my daughter yet?"

"Things are going rather well, Mr. Mazur. New York is a large, bustling city just about like all the others." I was trying not to tell him that I had already found his daughter because that would mean that I would have to explain how I had incidentally ran into her.

"Belikov, I have already told you to call me Ibrahim." His tone was serious, deadly, this was how he spoke on business but I wasn't a part of his business.

My relationship with Ibrahim Mazur was a bit tricky and truthfully I wasn't sure of what our relationship was. I think I had become more or less like a son that he had never had in his eyes when he had picked me off the street and had taught me what I knew now. But sometimes it didn't feel like that, sometimes I felt like I was just another one of his associates that he had to correct when they made a mistake.

"And you didn't answer my question…do I have to fly to New York to find out what you have been doing?" There it was again, that stern tone of his that made me feel like a child but it also made me feel inferior.

I hesitated, choosing my words wisely. "You don't have to worry, Mr…Ibrahim."

I had to correct myself quickly before he started again. I was in no mood to feel belittled.

I looked over my shoulder, into the cafe, to see that Rose was talking intently with her friend before looking to Tasha, who was talking to someone on the phone. Natasha looked quite irritated and looked like she was chastising or scolding someone on the other end, I couldn't tell which it was. I turned back to the street knowing good and well that it was normal for her.

"You better give me a straight answer right now." A chill went down my spine at the icy, deadly tone of Ibrahim's voice. This was not the tone that I wanted to hear, it was beyond scary.

"I found her…last night." I figured that I might as well get the truth out before I make him too mad.

"Oh…really? How did you find her so quickly?" Surprise and curiosity colored every word that he spoke. From his voice I could tell that he hadn't been expecting me to find his daughter so soon. To be truthful, I hadn't even been expecting to find her so soon.

"Actually, that is kind of a weird story…before you had called I had actually already met her at a bar that I had been at." I rubbed the back of my neck, nervous about his reaction, not sure of whether or not he was going to go off on one of his rants.

Surprisingly he didn't but I didn't like the cold that had taken over his voice at that moment, it was worse than hearing him angry. "What was she doing at a bar?"

"Your daughter dumped her now ex, Adrian Ivashkov, after she caught him in the middle of cheating on her with someone else." My eyes darted around me, feeling eyes on me but this was different from the way it had been this morning. There was more than one person watching me this time, making my senses heighten. "Abe, can I talk to you later about your daughter? I think that I am being watched."

I let my sense of hearing spread out, trying to catch any sound that wasn't right, anything that wasn't normal. I could even feel the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end.

Ibrahim seemed to catch onto the alert tone of voice that had slipped on. "Of course, just keep me informed if anything goes awry."

Before I could reply the phone went dead and I holstered my phone back into it's holster before looking around once more. Once I began to feel a little easy again I slipped back into the cafe and went back to the two seater table that Tasha was still occupying.

She looked up as I approached and something seemed to trigger inside her, her dark eyes casting a small silver ring in her gaze.

"I sense it too. I can feel the eyes that are watching this place."

_Something is not right,_ I thought to myself before frowning as a faint, almost inaudible sound caught my attention.

"Shit…" It seemed that Tasha had caught onto the ticking sound just like I had as she jumped to her feet. "We need to hurry and clear this place out…Now!"

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**It's a bit short...and the story is a bit slow but I am working on it. Recently I thought up some new ideas and right now it looks like the original story may wind up being split. Or really what I should say is that the ending won't be the same like the last one. Plus some of the ideas from the original story will be moved to the second part.**

**Also, the change of title is being put on hold until I get further in...I want to make sure that the title will fit...**

**Anyways, tell me what you guys think...**


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